Turning politics on its head

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This article was published 12/12/2024 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of Youth Parliament of Manitoba are learning what it’s like to be a political leader.

“Our most important mission still is to reach as many youth across Manitoba as possible to inspire them to actively participate in their communities,” said speaker Josephine Zhao.

Youth Parliament, which was founded in 1922, is hosting its 103rd session with more than 90 members, all under the age of 25.

On Thursday, the youth cabinet held its annual news conference at the Manitoba Legislative Building, accompanied by Speaker Tom Lindsay.

The group brought forward three bills, which will be debated over five-day period.

Isadora Kwoczynska-Brown, the current external affairs minister, represented Lien Huynh, who wrote the Voters for Open and Transparent Elections Act. The law is a spin on Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system. The so-called last-past-the-post system would mean voters would cast a ballot for the person they would least like to see become prime minister. The person with the least amount of votes would win.

Registrar general Owen Hildebrand brought forward The Child Protection Act, which would remove the assumption that a child’s birth parents are able to properly care for them. Parents would need to complete a child-readiness test within the first six months of having a child.

“The hope of this bill is to eliminate a lot of the early child abuse or neglect that they’ll face from their own birth parents and will hopefully catch those issues in their most formative years,” said Hildebrand.

Edlynne Paez, who represents government services minister Matthew Sévigny, brought forward the Equity in Education Act. This law would ensure that all students have equal opportunities to all types of school by eliminating the private education system and homeschooling.

This would mean having separate schools tailored to specific students’ needs.

“The school would be designed to meet students where they are at,” said Paez.

The cabinet will debate these bills from December 26-31 before members vote on them.

The bills are not real and the session is strictly for the youth’s interest, understanding and engagement in the Canadian democratic parliamentary process.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca